Legacy of Hatred-Chapter 143: Naked

Mitchell couldn’t believe his eyes. The cultivation world made many impossible things possible, but it also featured strict rules, and one seemed to have crumbled now.

Achieving a higher cultivation stage not only provided more strength. The Qi was a magical energy, and improving through it elevated a human’s very existence.

Rooting experts were superior in terms of the very natural order, but one now lay dead, her mangled corpse showing none of that supposed elevated standing.

Mitchell took a while to lift his gaze, inevitably giving Liam a proper look. Liam was beyond the definition of a mess, his half-naked state showing his many bruises, having more splinted and buddy-taped fingers than intact ones.

Still, even those clear signs of battle couldn’t make Mitchell consider the impossible feat.

"What happened to Senior Cecilia?" Mitchell asked.

"I killed her?" Liam replied, not knowing how anyone could misread the situation.

"Liam, don’t jest," Mitchell argued. "I don’t mean to insult your worth, but ..."

Mitchell couldn’t find the words to express himself since Liam tilted his head in confusion, his expression too genuine to hide any pretense. The event was impossible, but it had unfolded nonetheless.

Luckily, Mitchell found a way to justify the matter. Liam’s Master was none other than the alchemical powerhouse who had monopolized the market for pills and elixirs among the neighboring Sects.

It stood to reason that such an incredible figure would have provided his disciple with life-saving methods. That didn’t diminish Liam’s achievement, but Mitchell could somehow see it as believable now.

"I’m in complete awe," Mitchell exclaimed, performing a solemn bow despite the pouches in his hands. "Fellow Daoist, you are a true hero among men! Forgive me! I had eyes but couldn’t see your shining greatness!"

Liam blinked, looking down at himself to check whether anything glowed, only to shake his head in dismissal when he connected those strange words to pleasantries.

"Are those the magical beasts’ cores?" Liam asked instead, recognizing the four pouches he had lost in the first blast.

"Yes, Senior!" Mitchell exclaimed, snapping up, proudly showing the pouches. "I retrieved them for you!"

’Why am I Senior now?’ Liam wondered but quickly pushed those confusing thoughts away. He was too exhausted and in pain even to consider wasting time pondering the topic.

"Thank you, Mitchell," Liam announced, "But why did you come here?"

"I thought Senior Cecilia had incapacitated Senior!" Mitchell explained. "Everything had been silent, so I thought Senior Cecilia had left and I could rescue Senior!"

Truth be told, Liam had remained wary. In his current state, he was an easy prey, but that reply finally excluded Mitchell as a potential threat, making him store his oddly-wielded knife in his ruined robe’s belt.

Despite the threat Liam hadn’t heard, it made sense for Mitchell to believe that he could still be alive. Orthodox Sects had to play by certain rules, and kidnapping Liam would have saved Cecilia from the heat that killing him directly and without an audience would have caused.

That was why the Pale Moon Sect had spread stories about Liam before anyone else could, so he connected those dots.

Moreover, Mitchell’s attempt to sneak around had been too clumsy to be a facade. He might lack the skills, but his heart was in the right place, or at least on Liam’s side.

As for why Mitchell hadn’t helped earlier, Liam didn’t ask. Fighting a rooting expert was something foundation experts wouldn’t even consider as an option. Even he had avoided that until it was necessary, and his condition proved why.

"Please, hold on to the cores a bit longer," Liam requested, slightly spreading his arms to highlight his poor state, "And stop shouting."

Liam was about to finally address the corpse when Mitchell gasped, only to cover his mouth when he realized how loud he had been.

"What is it?" Liam questioned, since Mitchell looked eager to speak but wouldn’t without his permission.

"Senior, I have a rank 1 healing pill," Mitchell revealed, whispering, placing the pouches down to retrieve something from the bag on his back.

In a few seconds, Liam found Mitchell standing in front of him, his head lowered while a pill rested on his palms, as if performing a ritualistic offering.

An intense herbal scent reached Liam’s nostrils, matching the descriptions he had read and heard. Even the pill’s pale-blue color was on point, confirming its nature.

"Are you giving this to me?" Liam wondered, unconvinced.

"Yes, Senior," Mitchell confirmed. "Please, use it. I’ve been nothing but useless to you. Taking this would be doing me a favor."

Liam couldn’t deny the pill’s appeal, but his awkwardness with kindness was stronger.

"Should we trade for it?" Liam suggested, seeking a compromise that would make the matter easier to swallow. "I have a few elixirs, and Cecilia might-."

"Senior, I couldn’t live with such shame," Mitchell interrupted. "Senior even saved my life earlier, despite it being my mission to protect him. You have the demeanor of an immortal, and it would bring me nothing but pride to help such a hero."

Mitchell lost Liam halfway through his statement, but the latter still understood his intentions. Something similar had even happened with Melissa.

Liam hadn’t exactly saved Mitchell, but a rank 1 healing pill was also incomparable with what Melissa had given him.

"Mitchell, thank you," Liam said, carefully seizing the pill with both hands before bringing it to his mouth.

Gulping down the pill immediately showed its beneficial effects. A soothing, cozy energy spread from Liam’s foundation, strengthening it, nourishing it back to health, even restoring some of its lively quivering.

Liam’s body also benefited from the soothing energy that leaked into his circulation technique. His soreness partially subsided, automatically focusing on the various swellings that were forming.

Of course, Liam didn’t heal instantly, but his recovery period had shortened, bringing immediate benefits that would take a bit longer to unfold completely.

That pleasant event perfectly matched what came next. Liam didn’t feel any joy in killing, but getting to his knees to start browsing through Cecilia’s corpse definitely stirred some excitement.

Cecilia’s robe was the first to go. Liam didn’t even spare the wraps around her chest to make sure he didn’t miss anything.

That was Liam’s first time seeing a naked woman outside his family, but his thoughts never once delved into anything sexual. The idea actually didn’t try to appear at all.

It wasn’t just about Liam’s clueless, inexperienced brain. In his mind, Cecilia was nothing more than a prey he had hunted. Just like the animals he had skinned and retrieved meat from, he saw Cecilia as a bag of valuable resources.

The same didn’t apply to Mitchell, and the issue went beyond the exposed breasts. It was simply disrespectful to loot corpses in such a rough, excited manner, and the act was even more improper when it came to a woman.

Liam looked up once he was done, checking whether Mitchell had claims about Cecilia’s belongings, only to find him turned, his blush even making his ears red.

"Did something happen?" Liam asked, as clueless as always.

"S-Senior," Mitchell stammered, refusing to turn, hesitant to express his issue after acknowledging Liam as his superior. "Please, forgive my words, but I think women should be treated with more respect."

’What is this fixation on women?’ Liam wondered, refocusing on the corpse, only for his mind to continue churning thoughts.

For some reason, Melissa’s face had appeared in Liam’s vision as soon as women were mentioned, replacing Cecilia’s, creating a vague, hazy image.

Cecilia was obviously a disgusting, gory mess now. Still, Mitchell hadn’t talked about that, and trying to understand him stirred Liam’s memory, fueling his imagination.

Liam’s senses were truly incredible, inhuman even. He could distinguish between seemingly identical rocks. He could even hear the difference between two indistinguishable howls.

So, pristine memories that wouldn’t leave Liam resurfaced. He recalled what he felt when he carried Melissa, when she clung to his arm, and when she hugged him, his brain translating all those sensations into quite accurate proportions.

And, suddenly, the vague image was hazy no more. Liam pictured a naked version of Melissa in his mind, and his back straightened so abruptly he almost jumped on the spot.